Fallacy of the Week – False Analogy

False Analogy _ drawing a comparison between things that are similar in trivial ways, but not at all pertaining to the argument being made.

Example:

“People entering the workforce today are like nails; they can hold your company together only if you hit them on the head first.”

This fallacy often shows up in the form of an outlandish word picture intended to evoke an emotional response. Logically, the wordplay doesn’t make sense especially if a point is being made.

The power of analogy is to simplify a premise by drawing a comparison to an object, person or scenario. The error of false analogy is in twisting the semantics to arrive at a different meaning. Even more dangerous is one in which the argument produces a purely emotional result.